


See the Fire in Your Eyes

by Iforgiveyou



Category: Red Dead Redemption
Genre: Angst, Love Confessions, M/M, One Shot, Slight Canon Divergence, rdr2 ending reimagined
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-13
Updated: 2019-01-13
Packaged: 2019-10-09 15:54:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17409824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iforgiveyou/pseuds/Iforgiveyou
Summary: One shot based on the ending of Red Dead Redemption 2. Arthur and John have their last conversation in this life.





	See the Fire in Your Eyes

“You go,” Arthur says between shallow breaths. “We ain’t both gonna make it.”

John stares at him in disbelief. He isn’t going to let it end like this, not after all they’ve been through. After all they’ve been through together.

“Go now. I’ll hold them off.” Arthur’s eyes are glistening in the faint moonlight, and for a second John sees the same spark of hope they used to have many years ago, before the tears started falling.

Arthur takes a step closer and places his hat on John’s head, his touch lingering just for a moment.

John has to say something. Anything. After all these years of silence this is the last chance he will ever get. But the silence has rooted too deep within him, between them. John is tearing his mind apart trying to find the right words, or even the wrong ones.

_Just say something_

“There ain’t no more time to talk,” Arthur says, anger disguising the sadness in his voice. “Go.”

“Arthur…” John says growing more and more desperate.

“Go to your family.” Arthur shouts and tries to turn away from him.

Does he still not understand? Can he really look back on all these years and refuse to see what is right before his eyes? John watches his retreating back and realizes he can’t let him walk away without some kind of a confession or at least an acknowledgement. He has to know. He _has to_.

“Arthur!” John’s voice is barely intelligible. Could everything really just be inside his head?

Arthur turns back to face him. In his eyes John can see all the moments of happiness and sadness they’ve had and those they could’ve had. All the embraces and confessions they’ve only had the courage to imagine. John wants to run back to him and finally kiss him like he has only dreamed of doing, but now there’s no time for that anymore. There are only words and soon they too will disappear into the night.

_All those wasted years_

Arthur smiles to him faintly, like he knows exactly what John is thinking. He always has been able to read John’s thoughts from his face, at least John always both hoped and feared he could. The words he has never been able to say rummage through his mind until there is nothing else left.

_I love you_

Over and over again. Over and over yet still they are too far from him, nested in that small space between reality and fantasy they have always been.

They stand there looking at each other in silence, two men who never knew when to shut up. It would be almost ironic were it not so sad. John feels like the fire in his mind has gotten out and is surrounding them both.

Arthur was right after all. There is no time to talk anymore.

John stumbles forward and Arthur turns to face what he is leaving behind. This isn’t the ending they could’ve had, but it’s the only one they’ll get. The fire burns and burns around them until there is nothing left but dreams. It’s the way it has always been with them.


End file.
